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Tuesday, December 31, 2013

I decided to set goals for myself this year instead of doing resolutions, since--like most people--I just throw those out the window within the first month anyway.

It was a good but crazy year for me. Unfortunately this was not true of my goals.

1. Read 100 books.
This obviously did not happen. In fact, it was the worst reading year for me since I started keeping track of exactly how many books I've read in 2010.2. Read 10 classics.
I was a lot closer with this one. I read six classics over the year. Most of them were assigned for class, but it still counts.

3. Complete 25 hours of volunteer work
This one was complicated by my lack of access to volunteer opportunities that are local enough that I can walk to them.4. Do push-ups every morning for a month
I think I made it a week in the beginning of the month. Push-ups aren't really my thing.5. Do five things I've never done before
This one I actually accomplished! I went to a jazz ensembles performance on campus, donated blood, attended Relay for Life (where I spent the entire night and walked about 20 miles), went to a concert, and hard boiled eggs (it counts).

Monday, December 30, 2013

This year saw my worst reading record since I started keeping track in 2010. I'm not really sure what happened but I'm determined to do better next year.

Grand total: 37

A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin

I finished this one on February 25th. My friends can attest (as they were there for most of my reading it) that I spent a lot of time in a state of insanity. Like at the end when I screamed and pushed it off the couch. The fact that I've had the fourth book for almost as long as I've been done with this one and still haven't read it is almost a crime. Fantastic characters, as usual, and plot twists that I certainly never saw coming.

The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien

I took a class on Tolkien one semester and, of course, it included the reading of the entire LOTR trilogy. This one was my favorite. I love the story and I love Aragorn and Legolas and Frodo and Sam and Merry and Pippin and Eowyn and Faramir.

Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton

To be honest, I bought this book because it was on sale and the cover is gorgeous. I didn't have high expectations for it, but it blew me away anyway. The writing is beautiful, the concept original and a bit creepy, and the characters are well-rounded. I look forward to reading the rest of the series at some point in the future.